If you want to talk about a decade that brought about the most significant change, the 80’s was no doubt the one. At the start of the decade the territory system was still very much alive as it had been for decades but one man was about to disrupt that entirely. Vincent K McMahon would buy the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) off his father, Vincent J McMahon, taking this New York based territory to country wide and global dominance. McMahon would set about buying up all the major talent from each territory or just buying the territories out right. This gave him an arsenal of a roster featuring the likes of Randy Savage, Roddy Piper and Andre the Giant. But his ace card was Hulk Hogan and on the back of this star the WWE would see itself become a major part of the 80’s zeitgeist. McMahon also invested in the idea of closed circuit TV by putting on the supercard event Wrestlemania. It was a huge gamble that paid off and it would spawn many other events. Overall, the WWE was not your typical wrestling product. It was loud, colourful and bombastic, the perfect summation of the 80’s which is why it became thee wrestling product.
Traditional wrestling companies needed not worry just yet but as the decade wore on, they would be in a dire state. For the bulk of the decade the likes of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) still thrived with the territories under its name thanks to the likes of its talent such as Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Harley Race. In the later half the likes of Fritz Von Erich with his World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) would try to take his promotion national to compete against McMahon. It did well on the back of having some of the previously mentioned big names but by also have tremendous feuds like the ones involving The Von Erichs and the Fabulous Freebirds. By the close of the decade it would take the big wallet of Ted Turner of Turner Broadcasting Service to buy up several companies to give WWE a run for it’s money in the next decade.
Overseas, the likes of Japan were also seeing decent business. New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) would have great success on the back of its founder and top talent Antonio Inoki whilst also introducing the idea of championing smaller guys within it’s junior division. All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) would see it’s own success thanks in part to its founder, Giant Baba, striking up deals with the NWA allowing a lot of back and fourth talent exchange. In the likes of the UK, wrestling would still be popular but its own scene would reach a tragic end before the 90’s came. Being featured on the TV programme World of Sport since 1965 the British scene was held on the back of its major stars Big Daddy and Giant Haystacks. Sadly, this never-ending rivalry was tiring to audiences and despite having a tremendous division of smaller athletic guys – Dynamite Kid, Johnny Saint – it would eventually be pulled from airwaves and the scene would lay dormant for nearly three decades.
There is little wonder then why the 80’s is often looked back as thee decade for wrestling. Wrestling went from being viewed as a dingy throw off from the carnivals to being a global spectacle. This was in part to it’s larger than life characters, a more family friendly focus and a hell of a lot of mainstream media attention.
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Pat Patterson
vs Sgt Slaughter
Alley Fight - WWE - MSG - May 4, 1981
About a brutal a match as you will ever see and long before WWE would ever use the idea of Street Fight or Hardcore matches. Build as an Alley Fight, it is a long the lines of a Lights Out match. No referee and no holds-bared. Just two guys in street fatigues beating the ever-loving p**s out of each other. The action gets underway right from the off with Patterson
jumping Slaughter before he is even fully in the ring. Nothing but straight punches and kicks are the order for this match, giving it a true “fight” feeling rather than a “match”. Even the misses in this match produce eye wincing pain. It's a miracle Slaughter doesn’t shatter his hand when a jab of his is ducked and connects with the ring post. Plenty of blood is spilled as well, all done without the aid of chairs, barbed wire or thumbtacks. In fact, the only weapons here are a belt and a boot. The match features one of the most clever blading spots when Slaughter takes an ugly the ring post. You won’t find much better use of the ring being used as a weapon than what these two do with it. It just goes to show that less is more and a brutal match does not need to rely on deathmatch gimmicks to get its point across.
Available on Peacock/WWE Network
Magnum T.A.
vs Tully Blanchard
I Quit Steel Cage Match - NWA/Jim Crockett Promotions -
Starrcade '85 - November 28. 1985
Perhaps one of the biggest what if stories in wrestling is Magnum T.A. Tipped to be the next big megastar of the business he was already reaching huge popularity within the NWA and its audience. Tragically, a car accident in 1986 resulted in him having to retire from in-ring competition meaning he never got the world title and it would never be known the heights he could of reached. The silver lining to
this is he still created an impressive body of in-ring work during his short time as a competitor. The highlight of which was his feud with Tully Blanchard over the U.S. title. Having . won the belt from him and dropped it back to him, a huge blow off was set in the form of an I Quit Steel Cage match. The bout is nothing short of a straight up brawl, with barely an actual move delivered. Both men made strong use of their environment as well with the cage ensuring blood would spill. The closing moments would prove incredibly tense as both men attempted to skewer one another with a piece of splintered wood. Brutal but brilliant, it proves he was destined for greatness.
Available on Peacock/WWE Network
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
WWE - Wrestlemania 3 - March 29, 1987
For one of the most talked about Wrestlemania’s of all time, it’ s third iteration is a bit of a two-note structure. Most people either talk about the main event or they talk about this match. And for good reason. If you want to talk about a show stealer than this is it. The match stands out on the card for
being an exciting wrestling match when a lot of the other bouts are designed to fit more of the spectacle of Wrestlemania. Many argue that this would not feel out of place on a modern wrestling card and you can somewhat see that argument depending on the style of wrestling they are talking about. Saying all that though, I feel like some people are a bit too kind when it comes to this match. It is clunky in parts and despite being the longest bout on the card it does feel rushed in places. With that aside, it is still a classic from this era and is one of the first matches people can point towards to show that Wrestlemania can live up to it’s namesake.
Available on Peacock/WWE Network
Hulk Hogan
vs Andre the Giant
WWE - Wrestlemania 3 - March 29, 1987
If we are being brutally honest about this match, there really isn’t a lot too it other than the moment it created. And what a moment that was and still is. When you look back over the history, Wrestlemania 3 was the first one to produce what would later become known as “a Wrestlemania moment.” Sure,
the first two events had a couple. But how many times can you say you have seen those in any hype packages? When you break down the match it is the classic David vs Goliath bout which is what it was build as. It’s all incredibly straight forward stuff which is to not knock the talent involved. Hogan and Andre had been in many matches before, many probably better than this. But by this point Andre’s acromegaly was really causing him issues, restricting what he could do. Everything done though feels believable, with Andre essentially dominating the bout. This in large part helped by the 93,000 strong crowd who are invested in the entire ride. When Hogan eventually lifts the Giant over his head for the body slam the roof comes off the place and it’s legacy is cemented. It may not be a match of technical prowess or a matt classic but it created one of the most iconic moments in wrestling and that alone deserves it a recommendation to be seen.
Available on Peacock/WWE Network
The Glamour Girls
vs The Jumping Bomb Angels
WWE - Royal Rumble '88 - January 24, 1988
Despite making tremendous progress with its Women’s division in the last decade or so, WWE is still having faults with the tag team aspect. Although they have introduced tag titles they have done little to build a division or give fans a true investment towards it. What may surprise you though is this is not the first
time WWE tried getting a Women’s tag division off the ground and their past attempts may actually be something they should take note from. Establish in 1983 before being retired in 1989 due to a lack of teams in the division, the belts made very sporadic appearances. The standout match however was this one here between the champions the Glamour Girls verses the Jumping Bomb Angels. It’s a very short but excellent bout going at a fast pace and never letting up for a second. The talent here are exceptional in particular the Angels who deliver some unique offense that likes of which would not of been seen much in the West during the 80’s. I would even argue that these teams could have gave the male tag teams a run for their money and at the time that tag division was stacked. If WWE really want to push a tag division on their current product they might want to look back over their library and make some notes.
Available on Peacock/WWE Network
The Rockers
vs The Brain Busters
WWE - MSG - January 23, 1989
Watch this match and it’s impossible not to draw comparisons and similarities to FTR and the Young Bucks. Because you would have to be crazy not to look at this match and the teams involved to see the comparisons. The technical ability and smart tactics of the Brain Busters mixing it up with the faster and flashy technique of the Rockers. Except the key point to remember is these teams
did it first before their modern-day equivalents. It’s incredibly easy to see the lineage of tag team wrestling and where teams of today get their inspiration from. Synchronised super kicks. Misdirection. Closing off opponents from their partners. It’s all on display here and it is masterfully done. It also serves as a stark reminder that WWE was at many points a hot bed for tag team action and its such a shame this division is floundering in the current product. Maybe Vinnie Mac needs to look back over his old tape library and check out the other products to see why there is such a demand. Because you can easily still see this match going over strong with a modern audience. Come for the terrific action, stay for the very confused Lord Alfred Hayes commentary.
Available on Peacock/WWE Network and YouTube